


Dancing in Circles

by yeska_noka



Category: HiHi Jets (Band), Johnny's Entertainment, Johnny's Jr.
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F, First Kiss, Genderswap, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeska_noka/pseuds/yeska_noka
Summary: Mizuki joins her university's team because she has a passion for dance. But she soon finds that she has a passion for something else, as well.
Relationships: Hashimoto Ryo/Inoue Mizuki
Kudos: 6





	Dancing in Circles

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by HiHi's YouTube video where they all make themselves over into girls:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlwBEeGnFq0&list=PLBw8EmMNM8vyA4s0IqaQzt6lKul37Ezgt&index=3
> 
> It's fun, you should go watch it! (Or at least check out Ryo and Mizuki's looks.)

Mizuki stops by the recruiting table for her university’s dance team to get information about tryouts. She’s excited for the chance to dance again, and hopefully at an even higher level than before. She’s skimming through a quick explanation of practice schedules when a girl comes strutting up in black, chunky-heeled boots. Mizuki lifts her eyes and it’s a struggle not to stare. Short, loose black shorts, a massively oversized black knit sweater, legs that go for ages, and long curls tumbling down around her shoulders… the girl is drop-dead gorgeous, and Mizuki hates her instantly. She can feel herself shrinking back, feeling self-conscious as the girl grabs a flier from the table. 

“Hey!” the girl says. “Are you going to try out too?”

Despite her bright smile and cheerful greeting, her voice is somehow soft and sexy, and Mizuki wants to sink into the ground. She stares at her feet. “Yeah…”

“Cool! I’ll see you there, then.” Mizuki watches those legs carry her away, hips swaying, and looks up enough in time to glare daggers into her back. No way she’s going to lose to this hussy. No way. 

\----------------------

Suddenly, Mizuki sees her everywhere she goes. She spots her chatting with friends in a hallway, talking to people in the campus cafe, standing with a group of guys by the front gates. She smiles coyly and flips her hair, brushes her fingers on people’s shoulders or elbows, and just generally acts like a complete flirt. It sets Mizuki on edge and she grits her teeth and walks the other way. 

Mizuki can’t stand girls like her - girls who know exactly how pretty they are and how to use that to their advantage. This girl has no shame at all, always showing off those long legs and tilting her head at just the right angle… 

Mizuki prays she doesn’t show up to the dance tryouts. She might punch her in the face if she does.

\----------------------

Of course the girl shows up.

Mizuki’s a little surprised at her appearance. She’s immediately recognizable, those same long curls swaying around her face before she pulls them up and ties them back. But her pretty face is bare of makeup and she’s wearing a loose-fitting tracksuit. She’s clearly serious about dancing, and that marks her as an even bigger threat in Mizuki’s book. 

But Mizuki is good and she knows it. She’s confident in her abilities, if nothing else. She tries to ignore the girl when she comes and sits down next to her, instead focusing on stretching and warming up. 

“You’re here!” The girl says as she drops down next to Mizuki. “I’d hoped you would be.”

Mizuki just glances sideways at her, suspicious. “...Why?”

“Because you’re a great dancer!” The girl replies, and Mizuki blinks in surprise. 

“How…?”

“Inoue Mizuki, right? You captained the team that won prefecturals last fall.”

“I… yeah.” Mizuki’s kind of shocked. She’d never expected anyone to know who she was. It’s not like high school dance competitions lead to major fame or anything. But clearly this girl knows exactly who she is. 

“I was so impressed with your choreography,” the girl continues. Her voice is low and smooth and enticing, and she leans over to stretch as she talks. The edge of her jersey rides up just enough to show a thin strip of skin along her waist, and Mizuki gets flustered, distracted between that and the compliments. “I’d love to dance with you.”

“Yeah…” is really all that Mizuki can say, her brain not functioning the way she’d like it to. She’s saved from further embarrassing herself by one of the team leaders clapping her hands to get their attention. 

It’s a lot easier to focus once they start practicing. Dance is something Mizuki _knows_. And as she surreptitiously eyes her competition, she knows there’s not much competition at all. She’s by far the best dancer there, and she’s feeling pretty good about herself by the time they finish. The only person even close to keeping up with her is the girl who’d spoken to her. Mizuki’s not sure whether or not to be surprised by that. 

The girl is good. Not as powerful as Mizuki, and she takes a little more time to remember the sequences, but she’s got solid control over her movements and a good sense of rhythm, and, unlike most of the other girls floundering their way through the routine, she looks like she’s enjoying herself. She’s got a passion for dance that clearly shows in her expression, and Mizuki finds that captivating despite herself. 

The girl comes to stand next to her again when they’re done, and Mizuki is surprised to suddenly realize that without her heels, she’s the same height as Mizuki. She flashes Mizuki another pretty smile, and something flutters weirdly inside Mizuki’s stomach. 

“I hope we both make it,” the girl tells her. 

Mizuki just nods awkwardly at her, not sure how to respond. She can’t decide if she wants to see her dance once more, or never see her face again. 

\-------------------

They both make the team. 

Mizuki shows up to the first practice at the time specified in the mail she received, and the girl is already there, stretching with one of the other girls from tryouts. Her brown curls are pulled up in a messy ponytail and she’s already got a sheen of sweat glistening on her neck, and Mizuki just stops and stares. 

Almost as if she can feel Mizuki’s eyes on her, the girl looks up and, seeing Mizuki, smiles. She climbs to her feet and heads straight over, and, to Mizuki’s shock, _hugs_ her. Mizuki’s heart kicks up a quick beat in her chest, and she tells herself it’s from the surprise, and not from the scent of the girl’s perfume and the heat of her body. 

“I knew you’d make it,” she says, pulling back, and Mizuki tries to gather her scattered thoughts enough to respond. 

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” she says. “Congrats to you, too?”

“Thanks,” the girl says, and then, for the first time, looks slightly uncertain. “I’ll do my best to keep up with you.”

Mizuki is totally flattered, and in spite of her previous misgivings, she feels a little kinder toward her than before. “I’m sure you’ll be great,” Mizuki tells her, and then realizes something. 

“And I’m sorry, I never got your name…?”

The girl smiles, and it’s an open, honest smile that makes Mizuki feel like she’s somehow special. 

“Hashimoto Ryo.”

_Even her name is cool_ , Mizuki thinks. That’s so unfair. 

“Everyone calls me Hashimocchan,” Hashimoto explains. 

“Hashimocchan…” Mizuki tries, just seeing how it sounds, but then Hashimoto leans in like she’s confiding something, her voice sweet and seductive.

“But you can call me Ryo.”

\--------------------

Mizuki grabs her towel and wraps herself before stepping out of the shower… almost directly into a very naked Ryo. She tries to avert her eyes, but it’s difficult. Beneath those loose sweaters and baggy tracksuits, Ryo’s apparently been hiding a _fantastic_ body: sculpted abs and obliques, firm thighs, toned arms and shoulders. It’s the kind of body one only gets with a serious amount of work, and Mizuki’s opinion of Ryo goes up a notch, and so does the temperature in the room. Mizuki mumbles an excuse and tries to skirt around her, but Ryo just stands there and smiles at her. 

“You can look if you want,” she says, and Mizuki can feel the heat flare across her face. 

“Excuse me?” she manages to choke out. She knows she’s blushing bright red. 

“I don’t mind,” Ryo continues. 

“ _I_ mind,” Mizuki spits out, and clutches her towel more tightly. She can’t compare to Ryo at all. 

Ryo just hums thoughtfully. “Do you?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Mizuki hisses at her, trying to look without actually looking, and she hates how Ryo makes her feel so flustered. 

“Skinship is a good way to get to know people.” And then Ryo reaches out and grabs Mizuki’s towel. 

Mizuki shrieks. She can’t help it. She snatches the towel back and frantically pulls it around herself. “What is _wrong_ with you?!”

Ryo just tilts her head in that stupid attractive infuriating way that she does. “Is there something?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Mizuki says emphatically, and then takes a deep breath and bodily pushes past Ryo and stalks out of the shower room. 

Ryo fortunately doesn’t follow, and Mizuki stands in front of her locker for a minute, shaking so much she can’t even get dressed. It’s rage, of course, or so she tells herself. How _dare_ she…

But she can’t get the image of Ryo’s naked body out of her head. She looked so solid and firm all over, and Mizuki can’t help wondering what she would feel like if she touched her. And then she wonders how Ryo would react to that, if Ryo would like it. 

Mizuki shakes her head, trying to physically knock the thoughts from her brain. She sighs, finally pulling open her locker door. It’s just jealousy, she thinks as she dressed, and mentally pats herself on the back for being able to admit it. Ryo seems so confident and free. Mizuki has always been more self-conscious. She’s smaller than she’d like to be, and still feels like a child sometimes, as much as she’d like to seem otherwise. Ryo is so sexy and mature and Mizuki has always been the cute type. She wishes she could be more like Ryo, but she’s too embarrassed to show herself off like that, to flaunt her body or smooth-talk everyone around her. Ryo makes it look so easy.

\----------------

But the more Mizuki gets to know Ryo, the more she realizes how wrong she’s been about her. Yes, she’s sexy and she’s clearly aware that people view her that way. But she’s not really using it toward any purpose. It’s much more natural than Mizuki expected. Whether she’s made up in her classy clothes and makeup, or dripping sweat in oversized workout gear, she still has the same allure, a sultry aura that’s clearly just part of who she is. It’s not something she purposely puts on; she just doesn’t hold it back. Mizuki finds herself drawn to Ryo more and more, watching the way she moves, her unconscious mannerisms. 

And Ryo’s kindness is genuine. Those smiles that made Mizuki suspicious in the beginning are real. She sees how Ryo lights up when she’s happy about things, sees how she enjoys being around people, and she almost feels guilty for thinking Ryo was faking it. The way she smiles at Mizuki is so earnest and heartfelt, and Mizuki can’t help herself from smiling back, feeling totally ridiculous and totally happy. 

Ryo always puts Mizuki before herself. She hands Mizuki her water bottle during breaks before picking up her own. She gently wraps her parka around Mizuki’s shoulders when she shivers in the chill of the gymnasium. She makes and brings her snacks when she thinks Mizuki’s been eating too little again. Her concern for Mizuki makes Mizuki feel warm in a multitude of ways, embarrassment and pleasure mixing in a confused jumble in her chest.

Sometimes just being around Ryo makes her feel giddy, and she can’t think straight at all, and she doesn’t know what it is about her. It’s not that Ryo isn’t nice to everyone - she is. She’s thoughtful and generous. But she’s especially considerate when it comes to Mizuki, and Mizuki can’t figure out what to do with that. It sort of makes her feel nervous somehow, in a weird way, but she also doesn’t want Ryo to ever stop. 

\----------------

“I wish I could be like you,” Ryo sighs one day during practice. It’s just the two of them now; Ryo has a tendency to practice secretly, Mizuki had discovered, putting in way more effort than she’d ever realized. Mizuki finds that touching, somehow, and admires her for it. She’s taken to stopping by the practice rooms and gym - you know, just casually passing by - during her free time to see if she can catch her. And if she stays to help, it’s just because she happens to be nice like that, too.

They’ve stopped for a break, and Mizuki, in the middle of downing half a bottle of water, chokes at Ryo’s words. Ryo pats her back, and that doesn’t help at all. But when Mizuki recovers enough to look over at her, she looks kind of wistful. “You’re so pretty…”

Mizuki boggles at her. “What? I’m not… I mean.”

She’s nothing like Ryo. How can someone like Ryo think someone like her is in any way attractive? 

The only time Mizuki really feels confident is when she dances. It’s the only time she can let her true self shine through. And she knows she has that strength, that grace, that power and attraction that Ryo seems to always have, but as soon as the music stops, Mizuki feels compelled to bottle it all back up. She doesn’t know how people would react to her otherwise and is a little afraid to find out. 

But somehow, Ryo seems to see it all anyway. She seems so honest in her appraisal of Mizuki, and Mizuki never knows how to deal with that. 

“I could watch you forever,” Ryo continues, and Mizuki just blushes furiously. 

“You’re really good, too,” Mizuki insists, trying to deflect Ryo’s praise, but Ryo surprises her again. 

“That’s not what I mean,” Ryo says. “I mean, yeah, I love your dancing. You’re so sharp and strong and… but. I mean in general. Like…”

Ryo’s kind of airheaded, and as Mizuki’s gotten to know her a little better, she’s discovered that Ryo’s not nearly as much of a smooth-talker as Mizuki had thought. It’s cute. But she’s never seen Ryo quite so tongue-tied. 

“You have this… gap? All soft, but strong. Cute, but fierce. And.” Ryo stops, and Mizuki thinks she almost looks embarrassed. She’s talking about dichotomies, but Mizuki doesn’t imagine she knows that word. 

“...and you’re so… slender and light. But you have such a great ass.” 

It’s absolutely the last thing Mizuki was expecting, and she laughs in total surprise. “I _what_?”

Ryo looks as awkward as Mizuki feels, her gaze shifted to somewhere over Mizuki’s shoulder, and Mizuki’s hit with a sudden realization that makes her heart beat faster. 

“Ryo… is this a confession?”

Ryo half shrugs, reaching up to sweep stray strands of hair from her sweaty neck, and it’s possibly the most bashful thing Mizuki’s ever seen her do. 

“Maybe? … I guess.” She still won’t look at Mizuki. “I mean, if you… I dunno.”

Mizuki feels a little stunned. No one has ever confessed to her before. And she’s certainly never imagined that anyone like Ryo - a girl, yes, but someone so… beautiful, someone so pure and kind and amazing and… Mizuki takes in a shaky breath. She’s distinctly aware of the pounding of her heart, the tightness in her chest, the low ache in her belly, and she knows that Ryo is special. No one has ever made Mizuki feel like this before. The desire she feels for her, to touch her and be touched by her, but more than that, the desire to _be_ with her, to stay by her side… 

“I do,” Mizuki rushes to answer. “If you want…” She doesn’t really know what she’s saying, but she does know that she doesn’t want Ryo to take it back. Whatever this is, whatever they have together, Mizuki wants it. 

Ryo looks at her then, hesitant and serious. “... Can I kiss you?”

Mizuki nods, her heart thundering in her chest. She’s never kissed anyone before, and this is nothing like any of the first kiss situations she’d ever imagined for herself, but maybe it’s even better. Ryo places a hand on her shoulder and leans in slowly, and just her scent, that mix of her perfume and a faint smell of sweat and something else uniquely _Ryo_ , is nearly enough to make Mizuki swoon. She reaches out to hold on to her, and then Ryo kisses her. 

Mizuki had imagined kissing people before, but she’d still been nervous about the reality of it. With Ryo, though, Mizuki is relieved to find that her body naturally seems to know what to do. It’s weird, in that she can feel Ryo’s lips with her own, very clearly and distinctly, in a way she hadn’t been able to imagine at all. But it’s not awkward. Mizuki likes the sensation of Ryo’s mouth on hers, that feeling of connection, and she’s suddenly acutely aware of things she’d never considered: Ryo’s breath against her face, her nose against Mizuki’s cheek, the slight pressure of her fingers on Mizuki’s shoulder. And she’s acutely aware of how her body is reacting to all of that: her heart is racing unimaginably fast, her fingers trembling where she grasps the sides of Ryo’s jersey… and there’s a deep, pulsing throb between her legs.

Mizuki pulls back slightly and takes a shaky breath, entirely overwhelmed. Ryo looks at her, seemingly concerned and nervous, like she maybe thinks she’s done something wrong. 

“Is it… okay?” Ryo asks. 

Mizuki just nods again, because she doesn’t trust herself to talk. Ryo doesn’t kiss her again. 

“I really like you,” Ryo says instead, a proper confession this time. 

Mizuki nods again at that, and then manages to find her voice to confess something else. 

“ _I’ve never kissed anyone before_...” she whispers.

Ryo’s eyes go slightly wide at that, but her expression softens. “Then I’m honored,” she says quietly. “That you’ve given me something so special.”

Mizuki hadn’t really thought about it that way, but she feels a little touched at the recognition. And then Ryo smiles gently. 

“I’ve never kissed a girl before. So you can be my first, too.” Her smile turns slightly shy, and slightly teasing. “You can be my first for a lot of things, if you’d like…”

Mizuki feels that throb again at Ryo’s words, her body responding before she even has time to think about it, and even though she’s nervous, she feels safe with Ryo. 

“Yeah,” she says, and her voice doesn’t even shake too badly. “I think I’d like that.”

“I’m gonna call you my girlfriend,” Ryo says, like she’s double-checking that this is all really okay. 

“Okay,” Mizuki replies. The reality of it is starting to sink in, and happiness spreads warm through her center. 

“And,” Ryo says, her voice much lighter now, and the smile leaning heavily toward the teasing side, “it means I can totally grab your ass now.” 

Mizuki just laughs and scoots away as Ryo goes to do just that. Yeah, she definitely wants that. But Ryo can work for it a bit. Mizuki feels her smile turn playful in return. “Gotta catch it first,” she says, and then takes off running across the room as Ryo jumps up to chase her. 

Mizuki feels like she can fly as she races across the floor. Her heart is light and Ryo’s laughter is ringing out behind her, and Mizuki can feel the future reaching out for her, bright and welcoming. She hits the padded wall and Ryo crashes right into her from behind, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her to the floor, and they’re both laughing and breathless. Mizuki rolls over on top of Ryo and pins her, and Ryo just lets her, gazing up at Mizuki like she’s never seen anything more beautiful. 

Mizuki looks down at her, this wonderful, perfect girl that she’s fallen in love with, and knows, with all certainty, that they’re going to reach that future together.


End file.
